Potion of Trouble
by ChibiTotoroSophie
Summary: This is my real attempt at a fan fic! Ryoko trys one last desprite attempt to win Tenchi over, but her plan goes wrong and Ayaka ends up twisted in even more! Who's to blame? Ryoko, Ayaka, or Washu???


Potion of Trouble  
  
"Tenchi? Tenchi! Dinner's ready!" Sasami peeked her head out the kitchen's sliding glass doors and tapped the glass with a wooden spoon.  
  
"Okay! Just a minute!" Tenchi whipped sweat from his face and picked up a large basket of carrots, then headed over to the storehouse. He lit the lamp overhead and dumped the carrots into a box.  
  
"I can't wait until dinner, I'm starved." He smiled to himself and tossed the basket in the corner.  
  
"MMMMEEEEEEOOOOOWWWWW!" A bundle of fur shot out of the basket and hit the wall, sliding down the wood with a mixed up and hurt expression on its face.  
  
"Ryo-Ohki!"  
  
The cabbit launched itself at Tenchi's head. He caught the quivering fur ball and held her up. "I'm sorry Ryo-Ohki, I didn't see you in there." He smiled and the cabbit mewed back happily and licked his nose, then did a swan dive into the box of carrots.  
  
"Tenchi! Common, common, lets eat!" It was Ryoko this time and her voice was followed by slamming doors as she searched for him.  
  
"Commmming!" he shouted and quickly washed his hands at the dirty sink in the corner. With Ryo-Ohki settled on his shoulder munching on a stolen carrot, he went inside for dinner.  
  
"Where's Washu?"  
  
The whole extended Masaki family was at the table; steaming plates of grilled fish, bowls of sticky rice and soup spread out in front of them. Ryoko licked her lips and rubbed her hands together. "Locked in her room, as always." She said grabbing her chopsticks and attacking a plate piled high with fish and rice. She gulped, "That's okay though!" She eyed the food, "More food for me!"  
  
"Tenchi," Grandfather sipped quietly at his tea, "I need your help tomorrow at the shrine. Then after your chores are done, I think we should do some more training."  
  
Tenchi nodded and traded his empty bowl of soup for a dish of rice.  
  
"This is soooooo nummy, Sasami!" Mihoshi said, fish flying from her mouth and hitting Kiyone in the face.  
  
"Yes Sasami," The galactic space police officer growled. Ryo-Ohki meowed in agreement over a bowl of fresh carrots.  
  
"Thanks!" Sasami beamed. "It's a old recipe my mother taught me!" she smiled.  
  
As usual, Ayaka sat quietly, her eyes lowered to her lap as she ate. Tenchi always wondered why she was so quiet, but then again, when it came to fighting with Ryoko, she would be as un-princess-like as a normally good mannered princess could get. Tenchi glanced over at Ayaka as he thought. As much as Ryoko would hate it, he really did like Jurai's First Crowned Princess much more then the unruly space pirate. Ayaka and he did have a very distant blood relation, true, but it was so distant and complicated that either Ayaka or he could really figure it out.  
  
Ayaka looked up for a moment, her voliet eyes meeting Tenchi's brown ones, then they quickly went back to eating. Ryoko saw the look pass between the two and stopped eating in mid-chew. Narrowing her eyes, she gulped down the food in her mouth.  
  
"Hey…"  
  
Suddenly there was a loud CRASH! and the door to Washu's room blew open in a cloud of smoke! Everyone turned to look, even Ryoko, who was half away over the table and trying to get to Ayaka.  
  
Tenchi pushed himself up hurriedly and turned toward the door, waving smoke from his face. Ryoko forgot Ayaka and followed Tenchi to Washu's doorway.  
  
"Washu? Miss. Washu? Are you there? Are you alright?" he peered into the room through the smoke, and everyone got up from the table and crowded around him.  
  
There was a loud cough from within the hazy room and Tenchi stepped in, everyone falling in behind him. Ryo-Ohki bounded ahead with a loud "Meow!" and disappeared into the darkness.  
  
"Uhh, Washu?" Tenchi said again.  
  
"Oh, Ryo-Ohki! Hello there." Ryo-Ohki meowed softly. "Yes, I'm fine. Oh, they're wondering if I'm okay?" There was a loud noise and the smoke finally cleared. Washu stepped forward carrying a large fan, Ryo-Ohki resting on her head.  
  
"Hello everyone!" she grinned and continued blowing more smoke away.  
  
"Are you alright Miss Washu? We heard a loud noise and…" Ayaka stepped forward and offered a hand with the fan, but Washu waved away her help.  
  
"I'm fine! No need for help! You can all go back to dinner now!" she grinned some more and turned the fan off. "Now, shoo! I have work…"  
  
She spun around quickly at a tug on her shirt. Ryoko had come up behind her and was pulling on something tucked away in her back pocket.  
  
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" She covered her pocket with her hands, dropping the fan as she did. Kiyone jumped forward and caught it, but it was to heavy for her to hold by herself, and she crumbled under the weight. Mihoshi and Sasami each grabbed an edge and helped her set it down.  
  
"What's in your pocket?" Ryoko asked curiously and started circling the red haired genius girl. Washu's grin faded to an annoyed look as she circled with Ryoko, her hands still covering her back pocket.  
  
"Nothing! Now please, I have work to do!" she herded Ryoko and the others out and shut the door behind her. There was clanks and clicks as the many door bolts where put into place. Then there was silence.  
  
Tenchi shrugged. "Oh well." He paused a minute, then yawned and stretched. "Well, good night everyone. I'm going to bed."  
  
"Night, Tenchi!"  
  
"Good-night, Sasami." He yawned as he started up the stairs and disappeared around the corner.  
  
"Night, Tenchi dear!" Ryoko shouted after him. Ayaka growled and turned away.  
  
"I think I'll retire for tonight also." She turned to Yosho, who had remained seated at the table, and bowed.  
  
"Good-night, Ayaka." He nodded. She turned and went up the stairs, opened her door, and then shut it behind her.  
  
"I'll be going also…" Ryoko glanced around at Sasami, Mihoshi and Kiyone. "Night!" she managed to pretend yawn and stretch, then disappeared.  
  
Yosho stood, bowed, then headed back out to the shrine.  
  
Sasami, Kiyone, Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki where just getting into bed about 10 minutes later, when there was a scream.  
  
"RYOKO!" Tenchi's bedroom door flew open and Ryoko tumbled out onto the floor, followed by a very red-faced Tenchi in his pajamas.  
  
Ayaka's head appeared out her door and stared open-mouthed at Ryoko. "What were you doing in there, Ryoko!?!" she shouted.  
  
Sasami, Mihoshi and Kiyone's heads appeared a couple seconds later. Tenchi sighed heavily, than slammed his door shut in Ryoko's face. Ayaka glared at Ryoko, then disappeared into her room again, and soon afterwards, two more doors shut as Sasami and Ryo-Ohki, then Kiyone and Mihoshi went to bed, leaving Ryoko staring at the closed door, all alone on the floor.  
  
The next morning, Ayaka and Ryoko watched Tenchi leave for the shrine.  
  
"Bye Tenchi! Have a good day!" Ryoko called, one hand by her mouth and the other over her head waving around wildly. "Don't forget to come back for dinner!…As much as I know you would rather never see Ayaka's face again…" she mumbled.  
  
"What? I heard that!" Ayaka turned towards Ryoko and clenched her fists. "Grrr."  
  
"Wha…?" the space pirate put her arms behind her head and turned back to the house.  
  
Ayaka sat in the kitchen helping to wash the lunch dishes. Tenchi hadn't come home for lunch, but she had packed him a lunch so she didn't expect him anyway. She sighed and scrubbed at a dirty plate, staring straight ahead out of the window over the sink at the shimmering lake and the thick green forests beyond. I wonder what Tenchi's doing right now… she thought dreamily. She imagined him standing at the well, washing up just as she was doing now.  
  
Despite all the fights over him, Ayaka really liked Tenchi much more then anyone thought, even Ryoko. She wished so much that she could show Tenchi openly how much she really cared for him. But Ryoko was the wall between them. The tall, wide, thick brick wall between them. She growled.  
  
She staked the plate on a pile and took another.  
  
Ryoko. That stupid, thickheaded wall! She was the problem. But all problems have a solution, so all Ayaka needed to do was find it… if Ryoko wasn't there, then there would be no problem. And if there was no problem…  
  
"Then Tenchi would be mine!" She almost dropped the soapy plate when she shouted. She quickly covered her mouth when, realizing she had voiced her thoughts, rather loudly too. She glanced around to see if anyone had heard, but they had left a while ago for a walk in the woods, and the house was empty, except for Washu who was locked again in her lab.  
  
"Now, how to get Ryoko away from Tenchi…?" she thought about it for a moment, her mouth twisted in thought. Looking down at the bubbly water that filled the sink brought her back to reality; there was no way to win a war between a cute guy, a Princess, and a psycho space bitch.  
  
  
  
"Look Ryo-Ohki! I did it!" Washu held up a vile filled with a red liquid. "Now,"  
  
She said, "Just have to keep it away from…"  
  
"What you up to, Washu?" Ryoko merged from the wall.  
  
"Go away, Ryoko." She quickly capped the vile and locked it in a small black box.  
  
"What's that?" Ryoko floated over to where the vile was lock away, and stared at it coursily.  
  
"Nothing." Washu snatched away the box protectively. "Now, go away. I have work to do."  
  
"Sheesh," Ryoko put her hands behind her head causally and leaned back, still floating in the air. "You always have work to do. You should have come with us into the forest! The fresh air would have cleared your head up!"  
  
Washu shook her head. "No time for a break. No time! I'm making some really important scientific discoveries, I'll have you know."  
  
"Important scientific discoveries, huh?" Ryoko leaned forward and poked at the box in Washu's arms. "Can I see it then?"  
  
"See what?" She hugged the box to her chest.  
  
"See that, your "important scientific discovery". Now give it to me!" Ryoko reached forward and grabbed the box from Washu's grasp.  
  
"Ryoko, no!" She dived for the box, but to late. "Bad girl, Ryoko! Bad demon!" Ryoko turned around and opened the box.  
  
"Oooh." She whistled. "What is it?" She lifted the vile from its velvet cushions and twirled it between her fingers. "Can I drink it?"  
  
"No, you may not drink it! It's not tested yet!"  
  
"What is it anyway?" Washu snatched back the box and jumped for the vile, but Ryoko was to high up in the air to even continue trying.  
  
"If you give it to me, I'll tell you."  
  
Ryoko looked thoughtful for a moment while she thought about it, one finger on her chin, the other hand dangling the vile just above Washu's head.  
  
"Okay, fine." She let the vile go and Washu snatched it from the air.  
  
"Thank you!" She held it up and looked it over, making sure the bottle hadn't been cracked, and then she opened the cap and sniffed it. When she was satisfied that the mischievous pirate hadn't done anything to her potion, she smiled.  
  
Ryoko folded her arms across her chest.  
  
"Well…?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"What is it?" She snapped back.  
  
Washu sighed heavily and held up a finger.  
  
"You have to promise not to tell anyone. Even Ryo-Ohki, okay, Ryoko?" She looked around for the little cabbit, but she had disappeared, most likely back to the kitchen to get a carrot from Sasami.  
  
Ryoko rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
Washu glared at her, then nodded sharply and held the vile up to her face.  
  
"This," she shook the vile and the red liquid inside swirled around in misty circles, "Is a potion."  
  
"That much I can see." Ryoko growled.  
  
"But, it's a love potion."  
  
Ryoko, who had been mumbling to herself, suddenly stopped and looked with interest at the tiny bottle.  
  
"A love potion, hum?"  
  
Washu nodded.  
  
"How does it work?"  
  
Washu shot Ryoko an angry look. "You're pushing it, Ryoko…"  
  
"Oh pleeeease Washu? I cross my heart hope to die I won't tell anyone. Please." She crossed her fingers over her heart, then clasped her hands together and pleaded. Washu sighed and looked at the pirate who had started batting her eyelashes.  
  
"Please?" She asked again with puppy-dog eyes and a whiny voice.  
  
"Fine!" Washu uncapped the vile and poured some of the liquid into a petri dish. Ryoko leaned forward and watched as she took a white lab rat with a number 1 tagged on it's ear from its cage, plucked a piece of its fur and put it in the dish. The fur swirled around and turned red from the liquid, then sunk and disentergrated at the bottom of the dish. Next, Washu took the dish and set it into the cage of a rat tagged 2 and watched as it lapped up the liquid, then sat back on its hinges and washed itself.  
  
"Well?" Ryoko asked impatiently.  
  
"Just wait." Washu crossed her arms.  
  
A couple minutes later, the rat's eyes got big and red and it's mouth turned up into what looked like a grin. Then, Washu took rat Number 1, and set it in the cage. Rat Number 2 jumped forward and clung to the other rat in a tight, love-filled embrace.  
  
Ryoko whistled and Washu nodded silently.  
  
"You put someone's DNA into it, and when someone else drinks it, they fall madly in love with the person who's DNA is in it, when you put it into simple terms."  
  
Ryoko's eyes widened twice their original size.  
  
Washu lifted the empty dish from Number 2's cage and washed it out. Ryoko was circling the vile on the table. Washu quickly dropped the dish and snatched the vile from the table.  
  
"No, no, no, Ryoko! This is very important invention, it promises the survival of the earth! Errr, of anything actually… But, I know what you're thinking! You can't use this on Tenchi!"  
  
Ryoko grit her teeth. When I get my hands on that… Tenchi will finally be mine! She covered her mouth and grinned.  
  
"Well then," she said. "I think I'll go and help Sasami with dinner." And she disappeared through the wall.  
  
Washu sighed and turned back to the rats.  
  
"Well my little…" she stopped abruptly and raised an eyebrow. Rat 2 had blood dripping from its mouth and its teeth were bared. Rat 1 lay torn apart, blood oozing from its side. Washu hastily cleaned up the mess, bagged the dead rat and recorded what had happened in a small black book.  
  
After dinner that night, everyone was sitting in front of the television, watching their favorite soap opera, Neighbors. Washu had decided it was time to take a break, and she was sitting on the couch next to Sasami, her legs crossed under her.  
  
"This is where Larry tells Mary that he's married and-" Sasami was telling the whole show to Washu as it played out in front of her.  
  
Ryoko glanced around; everyone was busy, they wouldn't notice if she just got up and walked out…  
  
"Ryoko, were are you going?" Ayaka looked up from her spot on the floor next to Tenchi.  
  
"Oh. Umm…" Ryoko grinned, "Just getting a snack, Princess."  
  
"Oh, really?" Ayaka frowned. "In that case, would you be so kind to get me some too?"  
  
"Me too!" Mihoshi raised her hand  
  
"And me!"  
  
"I'll have some to please!" Washu and Sasami said.  
  
Annoyed, Ryoko turned to Tenchi. "You want some too?"  
  
"Well…" Tenchi thought uncomfortably, "As long as your up…"  
  
"Okay! Sheesh, I'm not your servant woman…" She mumbled heading for the kitchen. As soon as Sasami had starting blabbing on about the show, she peeked around the corner, then quietly sneaked out and tiptoed to Washu's lab.  
  
"Now, where did she put it?" She searched threw Washu's stuff. "Where is it, where is it?" She opened drawers and moved things around on the tables; trying to find the black case Washu had put the vile of love potion in.  
  
"Uhhh!" She swept the table clean of its test tubes, glass bottles and machinery with a swipe of her hand. Everything clattered to the floor and shattered into pieces loudly.  
  
"Whoopsie."  
  
Washu turned her head, "What was that?"  
  
"What was what?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"I didn't hear anything." Sasami added.  
  
"Probably just raccoons." Tenchi reassured Washu, quickly slipping his hand away from Ayaka's shoulders.  
  
"Yes, nothing to worry about." Ayaka's face flushed pink.  
  
"Noisy critters." Sasami laughed cheerfully.  
  
Washu shrugged.  
  
Ryoko scooped up the broken pieces in her arms and dumped them back on the tabletop. "Well, so much for cleaning up," She dusted shards of glass off her hands. Leaning over the table to inspect the broken mess, her eye caught on a plastic bag.  
  
"Hmmm, what's this?" she brushed aside a piece of paper and picked up the plastic bag with two fingers. She stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Yuck, what's Washu doing to these poor things?" She tossed the bag back onto the table and continued her search.  
  
After several minutes of a fruitless searching, she rounded a corner of a tall bookcase loaded with test tubes, and saw it on the shelf. "Ah ha! Here it is!" she pushed aside stacks of books and tubes and pulled the black box from the shelf. Skipping over to the table, she set it down and chuckled evilly.  
  
"Muahahahahahaha! I got it!" she jumped around in triumph. "Ha ha! Tenchi is mine!" She stopped, realizing she was acting really silly, and cleared her throat. "Well, lets see if it's actually in here…" She unlocked the box with a small blast from her fingertip. "I knew it was here! Good ole' Washu!" She laughed and held up the red vile. "Tenchi… don't run away."  
  
"Ryoko's sure taking a long time." Sasami rubbed her grumbling stomach.  
  
"I'm hungry!" Cried Mihoshi.  
  
"I'll go find her," Tenchi started to get up, but Ayaka pulled him back down, and looked at him with puppy dog eyes. She sighed and settled back next to her.  
  
"I'll go!" Washu jumped up and skipped into the kitchen. "Ryoooookoooo, we need food! There you are, what's taking so long? We're all starving!"  
  
Ryoko stood at the counter, food and drinks spread out before her. "Wha? Washu!? What do you want?" She finished pouring a glass of coke and set it on a tray crammed with other glasses.  
  
"Sheesh, someone's crabby. I just wanted to see if you needed any help." She put her hands on her hips and smiled. "I'm the Search and Rescue Party for our missing food!" Ryoko shoved a tray piled with plates of chips and other snack food into Washu's arms.  
  
"Oof!" Washu stumbled back from the weight of the tray, and turned back to the living room. Ryoko grabbed her own tray loaded with drinks and pushed past a startled Washu into the living room. She grinned, "Here you go, sorry it took so long! I was umm…. I couldn't find the umm… ice."  
  
Ayaka looked up, "You couldn't find the ice? Wasn't it in the refrigerator?"  
  
"Ummm…." Ryoko stared blankly at the wall, "No?"  
  
"So, do we have iced drinks?" Mihoshi asked, unsure.  
  
Ryoko growled, "Yeah, I made some."  
  
"Oh goody!" she clapped.  
  
Ryoko bit her lip. "Riiiiight." She started to pass out drinks while Washu handed out plated of snacks.  
  
"Here yah go, Tenchi dear!" She handed Tenchi a glass of coke, bending over and porously showing more cleavage than he liked.  
  
"Umm… thanks." He turned bright red and quickly took the glass and turned away, sipping on it.  
  
That's right, Tenchi, drink up now! Soon you'll be mine, and poor, poor Ayaka will be all alone again. Heh heh. She smirked, than stalked back into the kitchen to put away the empty trays.  
  
"I got you this time, Tenchi! You cannot escape!" She poked her head out the doorway to see if Tenchi was still drinking his potion-ed drink. The glass was empty. Ryoko rubbed her hands together, then ran a hand threw her hair, painfully passing the spot where she had pulled out a chunk of hair. "Now, lets test this potion out and see if it really works."  
  
She strutted back into the living room and sat on the couch, back straight and eyes lowered, hands folded neatly in her lap, so that she looked very much like Ayaka. The Princess looked up and arched an eyebrow.  
  
That's odd, Ryoko is acting stranger than usual. She glanced over at Tenchi, but he was staring at the screen, completely absorbed in the show. What did she do now? She wondered, looking at Tenchi again. He doesn't seem like anything's wrong. Or maybe it's Ryoko… She looked sideways up at Ryoko once more. What's going on, I wonder? Ryoko looked back at Ayaka, and smiled, batting her long lashes.  
  
All right, something is wrong. Something is not right, I say!  
  
After awhile of sitting and trying to look smart and pretty, Ryoko started to slouch and her lashes dropped, her eyelids tired of constant fluttering.  
  
Why isn't it working? It should have worked by now! She growled to herself.  
  
Five Minutes later, she sat cross legged on the couch, and another five minutes later, she was curled up and snoring.  
  
She slept on the couch that night, because when the show ended, no one dared to try and wake her up, knowing that they'd probably get killed.  
  
"Oh well." Mihoshi shrugged and stomped up the stairs.  
  
She woke to a wet tongue on her face.  
  
"Yack! Stop, stop!" She brushed her hand across her face and knocked a fuzzy something off.  
  
"Meow, meow!"  
  
Ryoko sat up and stretched. Looking around, her eyes adjusting to the bright morning sunshine coming in through the windows, she remembered what she did last night, and her eyes widened with interest. Jumping up, she headed up to Tenchi's room  
  
"Tenchi!" She threw open the door. "Tenchi?"  
  
The blankets on his bed stirred a bit and she smiled.  
  
"Tenchi!" she floated over and kneeled next to the bed.  
  
"What…? Trying… sleep." A hand reached out from under the blankets and turned the digital clock it's way. Tenchi's messy-haired head lifted from the covers after, to squint at the bright green numbers.  
  
"Who is it? It's 7am…" he looked up sleepily and squinted into the dark form by the bed. "Ryoko?"  
  
"Yes, Tenchi, it's me."  
  
Tenchi stared at her for a long moment. Ryoko started to wonder if Washu's potion had some type of flaw, when Tenchi grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to him.  
  
"Oh, Tenchi!" She giggled.  
  
Tenchi traced a finger down her jaw. "You know, I've always liked you much more then Ayaka. Much, much more."  
  
Ryoko closed her eyes and smiled. So, she had cheated, but her wish had finally been granted.  
  
"I don't want you ever to leave me, Ryoko." He whispered.  
  
So it worked after all! Washu wasn't lying either when she said it was a love potion. She smirked.  
  
They cuddled together for a couple more minutes, then Ryoko felt her stomach growl hungrily.  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Let's go see if Sasami's made breakfast yet." Tenchi climbed out of bed slowly and dressed, then they walked down to the kitchen hand in hand. In the kitchen, smells from Sasami's cooking pots wafted into their faces; Ryoko fell into a chair.  
  
"Smells good, Sasami!" Tenchi sat next to her.  
  
"Good morning, Ryoko! Morning, Tenchi" Sasami smiled cheerfully and set plates of steaming rice and vegetables in front of them, "Eat up, or it's going to get cold!"  
  
While Tenchi and Ryoko cleaned their plates, Ayaka walked in and sat down.  
  
"Good morning everyone." She greeted, hands folded in her lap.  
  
"Morning, Ayaka!" Sasami set an identical plate down in front of her sister.  
  
"Thank you, Sasami." Ayaka continued to eat her breakfast with her eyes lowered. Ryoko finished licking her plate, than smacked her lips, glancing over at Ayaka.  
  
"What's crawled up your butt this morning, Ayaka?"  
  
Ayaka twitched and growled silently. "Excuse me! Nothing has, 'crawled up my butt'! And what's…" Food flew from her mouth hitting Ryoko in the face. She tweaked again and looked back and forth between the two. "What are you doing?" She asked between clenched teeth.  
  
"Eating breakfast with my dear Tenchi." Ryoko spat back.  
  
"Not you, Ryoko dear." Ayaka smiled at Ryoko. She raised an eyebrow. "But what is he doing!" She jumped up and pointed across the table at Tenchi. Sasami turned around and stared at them  
  
"Wha… wha…what?" Tenchi stammered.  
  
"Yes! What exactly!" Ayaka's lip quivered. "What are you doing with him, Ryoko!? I thought, I thought…" Ayaka covered her face and cried. "I thought you loved me, Ryoko!" She looked up, tears flying from her face.  
  
"Wha…wha…WHAT!?" Ryoko's eyes widened with surprise. "You're crazy!" She screamed. "I don't love you! I love Tenchi!" She grabbed Tenchi's arm and pulled him up, hugging him close.  
  
"Yeah, Ayaka, what do you mean she loves you? She loves me! We're going to stay together forever!" he hung tightly to Ryoko and stared angrily at the Princess. Sparks flew between them.  
  
Ryoko looked back from Tenchi to Ayaka. "Wait a minute here!" She jumped between them; the Princess of Juri and the Protector of the Earth were growling at each other, blue energy sparks shot from each of them and clashed together, created miniature lighting bolts that shot out and bounced off the walls.  
  
"Oh…o-o-oh!" Ryoko giggled, "You're both fighting over pretty lil' me?" She put a hand on her heart, "Well, I'm just flattered! But there's just one problem, Ayaka," she batted her eyelashes, leaving Tenchi and Ayaka hanging in suspense.  
  
"You're a girl, Ayaka, and," she sighed dramatically, "I just don't like girl's the way I like boys." She paused; thinking how to put what she was about to say not so harshly. "Because," she smacked her lips together, tasting victory already, "I'm not a lesbian!"  
  
Ayaka's eyes widened with shock and her heart lurched up towards her throat. Tears formed in her eyes and spilt over, running down her cheeks. She stared at Ryoko, tears dripping down her chin silently, than she turned and ran from the room.  
  
"Well," Ryoko put her hands on her hips, "That was interesting."  
  
Later, Ryoko went with Tenchi to the Shrine and stretched out in the sun while Tenchi, in his big white komodo, swept the grounds and hussled around doing other chores. It was a gorgeous summer day, and the trees swayed gently in the wind, birds and crickets sang in the grass and trees: long, high-pitched notes that lingered in the breeze until a different sound drowned it out. The wind blew her hair free from a scarf she had tied around her head; she reached up and twirled the gray strands between her fingers.  
  
Oh, Tenchi. You are finally mine. She thought for the thousandth time, her eyes wandering over to where Tenchi was piling wood again the wall. No more Ayaka to bother you and me. We'll be together forever. She smiled.  
  
But that was strange, what happened during breakfast. She never would have guessed Ayaka felt so strongly for her.  
  
"It's her loss." She whispered into the wind. What am I saying? Ayaka… she's a… she likes women! That was a shock within itself. I wonder what the King of Juri would think? She giggled, I should drop him a note: Dear King of Juri, your precious little princess is a…She stopped the thought. As much as she hated Ayaka, she couldn't bring herself to say what Ayaka was a …  
  
Now, wait just a minute. She pushed herself up. Ayaka isn't… She's never acted this way before. She's always been madly in love with Tenchi. If she was a…then why do we fight over him? Did she eat something weird? She twisted her mouth in confusion, then her face lit up. My- my God! She didn't… she couldn't have…did she drink some of Washu's potion? She suddenly shot up and started dashing back to the house.  
  
"Where are you going, Ryoko?" Tenchi turned at the sound of her feet on the gravel walkway.  
  
"I'll be back, Tenchi! Don't worry!" Then she disappeared.  
  
"And a little of this…just…almost, almost…there! Nope, just a little more…got it!" Washu finished adding a couple drops of purple liquid to the love-struck Rat 2's water, and stepped back. He hadn't been allowed to drink for days, and he drank the purple stained water thirstily. His big, red eyes shrank back down to normal sized, black peas, and he fell over, fast asleep.  
  
"That takes care of that." She dusted her hands and recorded in her journal. "Just keep him on that for a week or so and…"  
  
"Washu!" Ryoko barged into the lab, her face red and her breathing heavy. She floated over to the table Washu was working at. "What… I…HELP!" She sat heavily on the edge of the table.  
  
Washu smirked, "Now, now, Ryoko. What's the problem here?"  
  
Ryoko made a face and pulled the plastic bag with the dead rat out from under her, and tossed it aside. Washu retrieved it quickly.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Ayaka, That's what's wrong!" She snorted.  
  
"What about Ayaka?"  
  
"She's acting… all weird."  
  
"Weird like what?"  
  
"You know what I mean!" Ryoko screamed. "She's…she… I think she drank some of that love potion I gave Tenchi." She mumbled.  
  
Washu's eyes lit up, "Ahh ha! So that's where it went!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, where else could it have gone?"  
  
"Well, to be completely honest, it could have just gotten up and walked away." Washu stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Not surprising. Ryoko thought. "Well, it didn't!" She said instead, "I took it and put it in Tenchi's drink the other night and… and… Ayaka, being the rat that she is-- must have drank from Tenchi's glass!" She breathed, "That bitch."  
  
"Oooooh, I see." Washu tapped her chin, "And now she's madly in love with you?"  
  
Ryoko nodded sharply, "Duh! Now, how do you fix it!?"  
  
"Fix it? Huh? You can't fix it." Washu turned away innocently.  
  
"What!?"  
  
"It'll ware itself out." She shrugged.  
  
"How come the rats wore out so fast then?"  
  
"Because their genes are different than ours." She picked up the dead lab rat and waved the bag in front of Ryoko's face. "This rat met an unhappy ending by the other one."  
  
"Killed!"  
  
"Oh yes, you said you gave some to Tenchi and Ayaka?"  
  
"Not to Ayaka! She drank some, so it was her own choice! She should have known not to drink from someone else's glass!"  
  
"Yes, true, but you shouldn't have broken into my lab and taken my property, Ryoko. It's your fault. Tenchi may be yours right now, but soon the potion will take serious affect and Tenchi and Ayaka will get in a war between you."  
  
"Oh, they mustn't!" Ryoko squealed ditishly.  
  
"They will, and one of them will die!"  
  
"Go Tenchi!" she thrust an arm into the air and waved a small flag around. Washu leaned forward so her face was right in Ryoko's.  
  
"But you'll get caught in the middle, and while one of them will die, they will take you too."  
  
Ryoko's arm dropped.  
  
"I'm to young to die!" she screamed and started crying. Washu sighed and turned away. 7,000 isn't that old…She disappeared behind a tall metal bookcase. There were several clashes and remarks from Washu as she dug through piles of junk. She reappeared and shoved another small vile into Ryoko's hand.  
  
"That's the antidote." She sighed, "But beware! It's not tested yet." She smiled reassuringly. Ryoko nodded.  
  
"But why didn't Tenchi react sooner when he drank it? Like the rats did?"  
  
"If you had been listening, you would have heard me say their genes aren't the same as ours. Their DNA codes are different. I wouldn't worry, as long as you get them to drink this in…" She looked at her watch, "Lets see, human genetic code…da da… in 24 hours!" she grinned. "That should be about right."  
  
"Thanks." Ryoko looked at the vile clenched in her hand, and then tucked it away into her shirt. With a thankful nod, her disappeared threw the wall.  
  
Washu shook her head. She knew Ryoko had two sides, a soft side, and an evil side. A very evil side. This is definitely her softer one.  
  
The rest of the day, Ryoko kept herself shut away in her room, brooding over how to get-to-get Tenchi and Ayaka to drink without seeing the love potion's green antidote. It could be as easy as when she first got them to drink it, but for some reason, she was having trouble thinking of a really cunning way to get it into their system. She had 24 hours, and 7 of those precious hours had already gone by. Tenchi would be home by now.  
  
The sun was setting below the horizon, and smells from the kitchen were coming up through the cracks in the door. Ryoko licked her lips and decided it was time to go downstairs.  
  
Everyone was at the table eating when she got down.  
  
"Hey, Ryoko, we called, but I guess you didn't hear." Kiyone told her. She shrugged and sat down, Tenchi moved closer to her, under the eyes of a sad Ayaka. Ryoko scooted away slowly, and started to eat.  
  
"Let me get you another drink, Tenchi." They had been at the table for a while, when Tenchi set down an empty cup.  
  
"Thank you, Ryoko." He smiled.  
  
"Here, Ayaka, I'll get you a refill too." She reached for Ayaka's cup quickly, and dashed into the kitchen.  
  
She filled the cups with tea, spilling it all over the table in her haste, and quickly poured half of the antidote in Ayaka's glass. She hesitated over Tenchi's; she loved all the affection she was getting from him, but would he really kill her eventually? She dumped the rest into his cup.  
  
Back at the table, Ayaka and Tenchi downed their new drinks with quick angry glances at each other, and Ryoko sighed.  
  
It still hadn't taken affect when they were in bed.  
  
Ryoko woke in the middle of the night to a scream. Thinking it was a rather noisy bird, she fell back to sleep, only to be woken once again by another scream. This time she did get out of bed and looked out the door. She cringed at, once again, another scream. Ryo-Ohki bounded past the door, followed closely by Sasami and a sleepy Mihoshi. She reached out and grabbed Mihoshi's arm.  
  
"What's going on?" She yawned into Mihoshi's ear.  
  
Mihoshi shrugged, "Sasami just sat up and said 'Ayaka's in trouble." She yawned and leaned against the door, snoring.  
  
Oh no. I wasn't in time! Washu was wrong! She jumped over Mihoshi and bolted down the hall into Ayaka's room.  
  
Tenchi was holding Ayaka's head in a death grip, and was trying to smuggle her with a pillow. Sasami was screaming, attached to Tenchi's back, tugging on his shirt and hair trying, to pull him off her sister. Whenever Ayaka got her mouth away from the pillow for even a split second, she let out a blood-curdling scream.  
  
"Tenchi! No, no! Ayaka!" Sasami pulled at Tenchi's arm, crying for him to let go of Ayaka. Ayaka started kicking and pounding at Tenchi with dying strength, and he let go of her, falling backwards onto Sasami.  
  
"Tenchi!" Ryoko launched herself forward and pushed Tenchi away. Sasami screamed as he fell on her foot, and curled up into a protective ball. Ayaka shot up and sent a string of energy chasing after him, but Ryoko jumped in front of him and took the blow instead.  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayaka and Tenchi shouted in unison. Ryoko fell against the bed, holding her bleeding stomach and drifting in and out of consciences  
  
"Look what you've done!" Tenchi screamed and attacked Ayaka, rushing her into the wall and punching her stomach. She slowly slid down the wall under the force of his punches.  
  
"Tenchi, stop," Ryoko mumbled, "Please, Tenchi. Stop." But he didn't stop; he kept on punching the un-defensive princess. Blood ran from Ayaka's mouth, down her chin, and her eyelids fell closed heavily, her head cocked to one side. Tenchi kept on beating her.  
  
Suddenly, he stopped, his fist in mid air, and looked at the bleeding Ayaka like he had never seen her before. He let his fist drop to his side and he rolled back on his heels. Sasami whimpered, then got up and crawled over to him, and once more, tried to pull him away. He looked at her, than back at Ayaka.  
  
"Oh no." He whispered, leaning forward, gently taking Ayaka into his arms. "Ayaka. Ayaka, please, wake up."  
  
Sasami started crying, "You've killed her, Tenchi!" He looked at her in bewilderment then back down at Ayaka's bruised face. He rocked forward, clenching Ayaka to him, squeezing his eyes shut to keep the tears from spilling out.  
  
"Ayaka, please wake up. Ayaka!" He cried, tears now streaming freely down his own face. Slowly and painfully, Ayaka's eyes fluttered open. She saw Tenchi's face above hers, and pulled her leg back to kick him away, but her face went blank and the leg dropped.  
  
"Tenchi…" She whispered.  
  
"Oh, God, Ayaka. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't know… I…" he pulled her close and hugged her tightly, rocked back and forth.  
  
Ryoko pushed herself up and limped over to them. She placed a hand on Tenchi's shoulder but he didn't seem to notice.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tenchi," She mumbled, than slowly limped back to her room.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Ryoko told everyone what she had done; that she had been driven by love to get Tenchi to like her more.  
  
"You mean you put a love potion into my drink?" Tenchi asked again. Ryoko nodded shamefully. "I don't believe it." He shook his head and buried his face in his hands.  
  
"But why would you do such a thing?" Ayaka asked, once more back to her polite, normal self.  
  
Ryoko sighed. She hated explaining things over and over, especially to someone with such a tiny brain, like Ayaka.  
  
Everyone had mostly escaped the battle with only a few scrapes and bruises. Tenchi had a quite swollen, black and blue eye, and Ayaka had several cuts and bruises around her mouth and eyes. When Tenchi had fallen on Sasami, she had twisted her ankle, and she now had a bandage wrapped around it. Taking the blow for Tenchi, Ryoko herself received the worst of them all, a couple broken ribs, a nasty hole in her stomach and a torn tendon in her right leg. Washu had made sure to patch it up as best as she could, but never the less, Ryoko would still be limping for at least a week.  
  
Ryoko grinned, "If I think about it, it wasn't so bad."  
  
"What do you mean?" Tenchi looked up.  
  
"You almost got us killed!" Ayaka shouted.  
  
Ryoko nodded. "I know, but it was funny seeing you two fight!" She laughed, "A bunch of weaklings none the less, but I still think Tenchi could beat your ass any day, Ayaka!"  
  
"What! He could not!"  
  
"Ho! So now you're saying Tenchi is a bad fighter? After all those afternoons practicing with Grandpa?" Ryoko teased.  
  
"What? I am not! I'm just saying that…"  
  
"That you're much better than him and he'll never be better than you, yes I know. Ayaka, you greedy person."  
  
"I am not!" Ayaka screamed back.  
  
"Oh, but you are!" Ryoko snickered, "You fight you fight like a girl!"  
  
"I am a girl, nut brain!"  
  
Ryoko threw up her hands in defense, "Sheesh, don't go getting all… manly on me!"  
  
"Ryoko!"  
  
"Uhhh… Ayaka? Ryoko?" Tenchi ventured, reaching out a hand as if to separate them.  
  
"WHAT!?" they both snapped back. He jerked his hand back to his side.  
  
"Were did you learn to fight, hm? Juri? You could use some serious help! Noboyuki could do better than you!" Ryoko continued.  
  
"What? That old man be better than me!" her face turned bright red with anger, and she crossed her arms. "Never!"  
  
"So now you're saying Tenchi's father is a old man?"  
  
"No! I'm saying he couldn't be better than me!"  
  
"Oh yes he could!"  
  
"Could not!"  
  
"Could too!"  
  
"Not!"  
  
"Too!"  
  
Tenchi leaned away from the bickering girls and sighed. Seemed everything was back to normal again. Well, as normal as his world got anyway. He tipped back in his chair and sighed. That was the problem, having two very cute girls in the house fighting over you…but all problems have solutions, right?  
  
"Could not!" 


End file.
